International KarateReview

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A satisfying fighter coming from the Commodore. (But you may want to wait for the sequel.)

By Lucas M. Thomas

It doesn't matter how old a game gets -- it's always going to be fun to play when it lets you jumpkick a man in the face. International Karate allows exactly that, and though it's a game now over two decades removed from its original release in 1986, it's still undeniably satisfying and addictively fun.

International Karate is a Commodore 64 title, one of the three selected to herald the arrival of the machine as the newest addition to the Wii's Virtual Console in America. It's a one-on-one versus fighting design, in the style made most popular by more modern games like Capcom's Street Fighter II and Midway's Mortal Kombat -- but it's not nearly so over-the-top or exaggerated as those. There are no fireballs, no spinning bird kicks and no fatalities. There's just good old karate combat for points.

Like the matches of the climactic tournament at the end of The Karate Kid, International Karate's fights aren't about depleting your opponent's health meter or being the last man standing -- they're about how skillfully and precisely you attack your enemy. Points are awarded for clean strikes, be they punches, kicks or leg sweeps, and the fighter who has earned the most points at the end of a set of three 30-second rounds is declared the victor.

International Karate takes you to landmarks around the world -- like Little Mac's pink jumpsuit jogging course here in New York.

While the game feels cumbersome at first, it grows on you. Modern day gamers' initial instinct will no doubt be to treat it like Street Fighter II, rushing in as fast as possible, trying to do a lot of damage with a flurry of attacks -- but, soon enough, the real rhythm of IK reveals itself. This design is slower, more deliberate. You might get lucky with a rushing-in, guns-blazing strategy, but a more patient player will almost always dissect an amateur like that in seconds.

The slower pace takes some getting used to, but the control scheme takes even more -- this Wii Remote conversion of the original Commodore control is certainly unique. Your moves are all mapped to the D-Pad and the 2 Button -- the assigned analogs for the Commodore's old ball-topped joystick and single red "Fire" button. Moving in and attacking with 2 feels natural enough, but odder than that is that many of your moves are activated by not pressing 2 at all -- just the D-Pad. By itself.

Each of the eight directions (up, down, left and right and the four angles in-between) activates some different action, while pressing 2 at the same time as any of them activates something else -- doubling the total to 16 different techniques. It takes a while to learn what's what. Pressing Down by itself is a low, sweeping kick. Holding Back and pressing 2 is a spinning roundhouse. Up and 2 together is your high-flying jumpkick, and it's one of a few attacks that will just repeat itself over and over again as you continue to hold the buttons down. Weird stuff.

The age of the design and that odd control scheme will send some players frustratedly running for the power switch, as this certainly isn't a style of game for everyone. But, given time, it proves addictive. There's a greater sense of satisfaction in winning a match of International Karate with a well thought-out attack strategy and properly-timed strike than there is in spamming Hadokens against a friend and watching their health drain down to zero. Recruit a friend to fight against here, and you'll definitely have fun.

There is one pretty significant caveat to any of this praise, though -- International Karate Plus. That's the name of this game's superior sequel, a follow-up that's actually already available for download in Europe's Wii Shop. It's only a matter of time before we get it here in the States too, so you may want to hold off on spending your five bucks here. Like the gamers who felt burned for having bought Street Fighter II when the superior Street Fighter II Turbo arrived a few months later in VC form, you don't want to feel like you wasted your cash if it's only going to be a short while before IK+ appears in a Monday Wii-kly Update.

The Verdict

International Karate was a good pick for the Commodore 64's American launch lineup, because even after 20 years it's still a title with a good degree of name recognition among gamers from the '80s. Much of that recognition, though, probably came from this game's superior sequel -- the imminent arrival of which is a strong reason why you might not want to get this edition right away. Existence of the upcoming sequel aside, though, the original International Karate is fun and even addictive. So nostalgic Commodore players and younger gamers who think they might like a slower, more purposeful and more strategic fighting design should still give it a look.

7PresentationThe software-emulated Commodore keyboard makes another appearance here, but only at the beginning. The different backgrounds do their best to evoke famous global locales.

6.5GraphicsOn the same level as some earlier efforts from the NES, though a few animations stand out as surprisingly fluid.

7.5SoundModern chiptune aficionados will love IK's background music, which is incredibly catchy and a great representation of the early sound work done on the C64.

7GameplayA slower, more deliberate fighting design that's more focused on strategy and precision than just trying to beat the tar out of your opponent. A little hard to get into, but ultimately addictive.

5Lasting AppealSadly, this edition of International Karate seems doomed to be rendered somewhat obsolete -- its superior sequel, International Karate Plus, will trump it when it arrives.